Welcome to our second post of our visit to Manhattan Island in New York City during June 2026. To see the first post, go to https://thetravelingtodds.com/2026/09/28/june-2026-new-york-city/. On our fourth day, we walked south to Times Square and took another skyscraper elevator up the Empire State Building.
We had seen Times Square presented in movies and television shows. In person was a completely different experience. Here is but a sampling of what we saw.
The Ed Sullivan Theater closed after the final episode of Late Night With Steven Colbert on May 21, 2026.
The Ed Sullivan Show was must-watch TV on Sunday nights when I was a kid. I still remember sitting in front of our 21″ color television on February 9, 1964, watching the Beatles perform “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I want to Hold Your Hand.” I became a Beatles fan that night, and I’m still one today.
Somewhere here was an Olive Garden. Perhaps upstairs?
I liked the pedestrian and park-like atmosphere on Broadway between 42nd and 47th Streets. Visitors will find the plazas with benches a comfortable place to relax and watch humanity stream by. I enjoyed watching someone filming a dance troupe in action. Their concentration so focused on their performance, they appeared oblivious to people around them.
Action
Down
Up. And That’s a Wrap.
I was overwhelmed by all of the electronic billboards. I do my best to avoid advertisements under normal circumstances, but I found it impossible to do so in Times Square. Their size, colors, and flashing messages all vied for my attention. Where was I supposed to look?
The gigantic screens dwarf the businesses below.
Our goal was to reach 1 Times Square (1475 Broadway). The building is where the New Year’s Ball drops every year at midnight to ring in the new year. We crept closer and closer.
In the photo below, Mario and King Kong wanted me to take a picture with them. I passed. Apparently, the city does not require permits to don a costume, perform, take photos, and encourage tourists to open their wallets.
Mario and King Kong hoping to earn a day’s pay.
We came, we saw, and were glad for the lack of crowds.
Good Morning America filmed in the building below until they moved to a new location in 2025. I found the facade odd. It looked like a vehicle of some sort from a dystopian movie. In August 2026, the building was part of a multi-property purchase by YS Developers and Rabsky Group. I wonder what it will become.
Don’t worry. It’s safe to stand in the middle of the street.
Einride Autonomous Vehicle on display. We haven’t seen any of these on the roads. Yet.
What did this ad cost? If companies weren’t compelled to spend so much on advertising, perhaps they could lower their prices.
A lack of time prevented us from wandering around the library. Imagine all the treasures the library holds in its collections.
Our next stop was the Empire State Building. Seen throughout the years in films and on the tele, what will it feel like when we get to the top?
Elmo and Cookie Monster take a break with the welders.
Oprah Winfrey, along with other cast members, visited the Empire state Building in December 2023 to celebrate the premiere of “The Color Purple”
In the Observatory Experience Museum the NYC skyscape stands behind the architectural model of the Empire State Building.
I wonder what Workday and JCDecaux pay for their office suites.
A few of the movies which featured the Empire State Building
King Kong is in the building.
Spectacular is but one word to describe the views from the observation deck. Although basically the same as from Top of the Rock, the different perspective included or excluded objects within my camera’s view finder.
East river on the left. Hudson river on the right. Freedom Tower (One World Trade Center) on the right with its spire rises 1,776 feet above the horizon. It is the tallest building in North America and Western Hemisphere. We’ll definitely visit the building and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum during our next NYC visit.
The gold topped building is the 40-story New York Life Building. Completed in 1928.
One High Line is composed of the two twisty-looking buildings consisting of luxury condominiums located in West Chelsea.
Water tanks on top of buildings? Although they look like relics from the 19th century, they still function today, providing water to the building’s residents. On average, they stand 10-12 feet high and store from 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of water.
The tanks are made of cedar or California redwood and, if maintained on a regular basis, have a life of 20 to 25 years. Wood is the preferred product to use for the tanks because it keeps water cool during the summer, prevents it from freezing in the winter, and it’s easier to maintain.
In the photo below, the highest sky deck in the Western Hemisphere extends from the tallest building with a triangular roof.
The sky deck also has a triangular shape and is located at the 100th and 101st floors
American Radiator Building built in 1924 and added to in 1937 is home to the Bryant Park Hotel.
The Chrysler Building is another example of the Art Deco style of architecture. The steel-framed brick structure at 1,046-feet tall is the tallest of it’s kind in the world. Like the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building has appeared in many movies, TV shows, and video a games.
To close out this post on New York City, here are a few photos taken as we made our way back to the hotel.
Had we been hungry, we would have popped in at Reichenbach Hall for a plate of Swedish Meatballs with Spatzle and Gravy and chased it down with a glass of hefeweizen. It’s on the list for our next trip to the city.
Step right up to learn your future.
I couldn’t confirm what this represented, but thought it interesting. The pigeons sure enjoy it.
Sadly, we missed saying “Hello” to Rupert Jee at David Letterman’s favorite deli. Jee closed up shop in April 2023 after 31 years in business.
We’re not quite done with our New York adventure. Next up are more cityscape photos. This time from the perspective of a harbor cruise around Manhattan Island, and my solo trek across Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In December 2025, our last post, I wrote we’d be on hiatus. I never thought it would be nine months later. But here we are in September 2026. The year 2025 was one health issue after another for Jon, which curtailed our travel plans for a year and a half. Finally, in June 2026, a window opened up between all the procedures, doctor appointments, labs, and PT appointments. Where did we decide to go?
New York City. Specifically, Lincoln Center on Manhattan Island. What inspired us to fly across the country? Sting, the rock star, and former lead singer and bassist of the rock band Police. He wrote and composed “The Last Ship,” an autobiographical musical, which we saw in April 2020, a few weeks before the pandemic shut down San Francisco Bay Area. We were eager to see it again in a larger venue like the Metropolitan Opera House.
We boarded a plane on June 7, 2026, for a six-day adventure of exploring and eating our way through the island.
The view from our room at the Empire Hotel was of Dante Park, a triangular-shaped park, with trees providing plenty of shade. Across from our room and on the base-side of the triangle, rental bikes filled every slot in the morning, and by late afternoon only empty slots remained. It might have been fun to ride a bike had traffic not been so heavy. Instead we hoofed it most everywhere we went.
Monument to honor Dante Alighieri created in 1921 by Ettore Ximenes. The Empire Hotel stands in the background.
Tourists and residents walk past the “Time Sculpture” at Lincoln Center created by Philip Johnson
The Lincoln Square Business Improvement District maintains the park and provides benches and small tables and chairs. During breaks between our sightseeing, my favorite pastime was watching the activity in the park from our hotel room window. Pedestrians rushed by to reach their destination. People gathered to chat, play cards, chess, or board games. Other people ate their lunch, read, or watched humanity stream by.
With Lincoln Center across the street, we didn’t worry about walking long distances between the Metropolitan Opera House and our home base. We also found the location within walking distance or a short metro ride to Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, Times Square, and other sights. Having Central Park only a few blocks away was also a bonus.
We immensely enjoyed The Last Ship for its music, storyline, and scenery. The opening scene with Sting and Shaggy singing while standing on a girder and descending from the ceiling over the stage took my breath away as did the launch of the ship at the end. We were so glad we made the trip.
We made good use of our time while in Manhattan by making a grand attempt to see all the sights. Although we didn’t see it all, we crossed off several on our list.
Surrounded by first-rate restaurants assured us we’d not go hungry. In fact, I cannot think of one meal we had that was a disappointment.
Rosa Mexicano offers breakfast and dinner.
Italian dishes at Cafe Fiorello serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch
The Smith Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
PJ Clarke’s Lincoln Square serves lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. Read the history of the restaurant and the 1868 building on their website.
Café Aroma supplied us with a quick breakfast and cups of coffee.
The Flame Diner reminded us of the diners of the 1950s and 60s. They’re even open 24 hours.
Our first foray into the wild took us on the NYC subway. We thought it similar to the BART system in San Francisco, except cleaner and more comfortable, even when we had to grab a pole.
A glimpse of the old and new through the entrance of Castle Clinton National Monument.
Near the South Ferry/Whitehall Street Station, we searched for the Castle Clinton National Monument. After a few wrong turns, a maintenance person pointed us in the right direction.
Our timing didn’t match up with the tour times, but we were able to look at some of the exhibits inside the compound and the surrounding area and the rest of our visit included gawking at the surrounding high rises.
Luis Sanguino (1934-2026) created this sculpture in Battery Park near Castle Clinton. Castle Clinton processed immigrants arriving in New York from 1855 to 1890.
The historic Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal.
Across the Hudson River, the tall building on the left is the Goldman Sachs Tower in Jersey City.
The Staten Island Ferry is free to ride. Taxpayers fund the costs of operating the ferry through city taxes. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is behind the ferry. The ferry and the island is on our list of things to do during a future visit.
I had big plans for our second day, mapping out our walking path to visit six different must-see tourist sights. After several misdirections and backtracks and only seeing three sights, we stopped for lunch. Sitting in the air-conditioned deli eating our sandwiches, we decided three sights would be enough for one day. We hopped on the metro and went back to the hotel.
We started day three with a walk through Central Park and a ride on the carousel. I can’t pass on an opportunity to ride a trusty steed up and down and round and round. Jon even joined in the fun. Then we walked around Fifth Avenue, rode the elevator to Top of the Rock’s 70th floor observation deck for a 360-degree city skyline view toward the East River and Hudson River.
We arrived early and had to wait for the carousel to open.
Patience, my dear.
Looks like he’s having fun.
Mighty large trees made me wonder how long they’d been there.
I prefer the Art Deco style of architecture over the squared off buildings.
The Ballfield’s Cafe
The short and tall, old and new
Exterior is done, interior still under construction.
While enjoying nature in the park, the skyscrapers remind nature lovers that the city abounds
Which is your favorite, Art Deco or the shiny glass and steel of modern architecture?
Abandoned shoe waiting to be found.
Granite boulders are part of the Manhattan schist found running down the center of the island.
Columbus Circle
USS Maine National Monument at Merchant’s Gate on Columbus Circle. The sculpture was dedicated in May 30, 1913, to the men killed aboard the USS Maine battleship when it exploded while docked in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898.
The risky business of window maintenance pays on average around $42,000 per year. A person with specialized skills and more danger, could bring in $60,000 to $100,000.
The white structure is an urban umbrella that protects pedestrians and sidewalks from mishaps above during maintenace and repairs. They’re even lighted at night.
Easy does it, buddy.
The 21 pear trees growing on the living terraces make for a unique architectural element to this building.
Our driver pointed out this building when we came into the city from the airport. Not a building, though. It’s a facade to shield the renovation and expansion going on behind the scenes of the Louis Vuitton’s flagship store.
Columbus Circle Globe by Kim Brandell
Rockefeller Center was our main attraction for the day. How we missed it the first time, I don’t know. I even stopped to take a photo and then we kept walking. More backtracking.
The bronze Atlas statue was installed in 1937 and is the largest statue in Rockefeller Center.
The gold sculpture Prometheus created by Paul Manship in 1934 is a prominent fixture at the lower plaza of Rockefeller Center.
Radio City Music Hall building with Art Deco medallions created in 1932 by Hildreth Meiere and Oscar B. Bach. The medallions symbolize the performing arts of Dance, Drama, and Song.
The waiting area for the elevators to the Top of the Rock
A stop at the theater first.
On to the views.
Central Park and lake
Statue of Liberty in the Hudson River
Mid-photo caught a glimpse of Queens, East Channel Roosevelt Island, and West Channel
The black building on the left is the JP Morgan Chase building. Was it inspired by shiny black flip phones, or the Jacob’s Ladder toys I remember from my childhood days.
The H&M Building (formerly the Conde Nast Building). Should the spires be counted in the height of the building? From street to roof it measures 809 feet. The antenna adds an additional 309 feet. Nine feet more than the length of a football field.
The Cityspire Center
One of 21 bridges connected to Manhattan Island
Central Park really is Manhattan’s playground
Here’s a place we’ll have to visit on our next trip, St. Patrick’s Cathedral dedicated in 1879.
I tried to fit our entire New York City’s Manhattan Island visit in one post. After deleting photos and making cuts here and there, I gave up. So stay tuned. We’ll be back with more in our next post.
